How Do I Love Thee? · 9:03pm Nov 25th, 2019
Let Me Count The Ways…
(Inspired By Andrew Joshua Talon's Hands and associated blogs.)
Lately, it's been a rare thing when I shuffle back to the Wolf Den sporting a myriad of injuries. Peace hasn't exactly made me soft, but the role of Grand Archmage of the Arcane Empire of Terra has plenty of office time associated with the office. Albeit, being The Grand Archmage has a nominal amount of field work and teaching amongst the training covens. Try telling that to Tribe Proletariat, though. This latest offensive they launched nearly breached Fort Paladin, the largest fortification settled within the Five Terrors mountain range. If The Tribe was able to get past there, they would have an opening to The Empire itself. That would would lead to all kinds of travesty.
So, no sooner do I stumble over the threshold, do I get ambushed by a golden ball of fluff and feathers.
"STEVIE!" Fluttershy cries, "oh my gosh, you're hurt! What happened?"
"Big fight," I answer, "Proletariat ran an offensive… Managed to crush it under heel… Took some lumps…"
"There's so much blood-" Shy murmured, to which I reply, "if think this is bad, you should see the other guy."
"Should I get a doctor?" Shy asks.
"No, there's an autodoc here," I answer, "just help me limp to the couch, okay?"
"Okay," Shy says, and she grips me from under an armpit and practically drags me over to the sofa. I plop myself upon the plush surface, instantly staining the fabric with blood. None of my herd mates are going to be happy with that, but I'm in bad enough shape not to worry about it overmuch. The autodoc is out in a thrice and after it disables my TAC, it begins tearing through my robes to get to my numerous injuries. As if the House Endymion Outfitter and Quartermaster aren't going tear into me enough when the After Action Reports are published… It works on the broken bones of my right leg, setting the bones, suturing the cuts, and setting a gel cast over the injured area.
The autodoc then set to check my over for additional injuries, of which I'm assured I have plenty of, and starts injecting nanomeds into my bloodstream to help alleviate internal injuries (broken ribs and a few instances of internal bleeding.) It starts treating some contusions across my chest and abdomen, while Fluttershy floats in next to me on the sofa.
"Oh, Stevie," Shy worries, "I don't know why you put yourself up to such abuse."
"I do this to prevent the destruction of my home," I reply, gesturing to the contents of the Wolf Den, "Tribe Proletariat is intent to wipe out any species that isn't human and plans to rape the land of all its natural resources for profit. I've seen plenty of that back on my Cradle-world, and I don't want that repeated here."
"Well, that does sound like some very good reasons," Shy says.
"My heart is here, also," I add, poking the Pegasus animal wrangler in her barrel, "and I don't think I could live with the idea of you, Applejack, Sunset or Luna dead. If I gotta deal with some pain and injury to keep you all safe and protect Equestria and the Empire from the devastation Tribe Proletariat promises, then I consider it a fair trade."
Fluttershy shakes her head while the autodoc tends to a ghastly laceration that crisscrosses my torso. The wound looks worse than it actually is (thanks to my Empire issued TAC,) but it is seeping blood pretty badly. The antiseptic the automated doctor uses causes me to clench my teeth in anguish, but that pain is temporary before a local anesthetic is administered before sutures are applied. Fluttershy watches as these injuries are tended to, a look of concern crossing her face. I can understand that; she loves me and seeing me in such a state must worry her to no end.
"Why?" Shy asks.
"Why what?"
"Why do you love me?" Shy asks one more.
I don't want to seem like I'm hesitating but Shy does ask a legitimate question. I haven't given it much thought before, but there are reasons why I love Fluttershy and the other mares of our herd. I should have put those reasons into words a long time ago, but I've been either distracted by adventures or dire circumstances, so I haven't formulated those out yet. Now is as good a time as any, I guess.
"You see through me," I answer, and when Shy gives me a confused look, I clarify, "back on my cradle-world, a body would look upon you and make a multitude of judgements. The clothes you wear, the car you drive, the phone you use, the shoes you wear, the way you cut your hair, the places you eat, where you work, all of these to define you as a person. It's bias built upon bias to bypass actually getting to know someone. Fluttershy, you have been the very first being to see past all of that, see through all the bullshit, see who I am really. You've never judged me for anything I've said or anything I do. And with you, I don't have to wade through a veritable mine field of social games like I would with a human woman. I can care for you without running a shit ton of hoops. And seem to care for me without any reservations. I don't remember anyone ever doing that for me."
Fluttershy smiles, saying, "Aww!"
"Well, now that I've given you why I love you," I state, "why do you love me?"
"Oh, that's easy," Fluttershy says, "I love you because you're such a caring soul."
"A caring soul?" I ask.
"Yes," Shy confirms, "when you first arrived here, you were the only being of your kind among an entire species that defied all your expectations. Many ponies in your predicament wold have withdrawn until the world made more sense for them. You choose to move onward in spite of that and you put yourself out there when you really wouldn't do so normally. You also chose to protect us ponies when you could have just walked away and stayed with the Empire. Sure, you get hurt a lot doing so, but you aren't selfish in the least in that regard. And anypony that could take in a wounded female fox can't be all bad."
"Aww, thanks, Shy!" I beam, reaching up with an uninjured arm to scratch behind her ears, "it's nice to know that such a lovely creature waits for me when I have to go away. You and all the girls make me so happy and that's why I fight so damn hard. You're all my herd; you make me happy and I wouldn't want that to go away."
"Aww, Stevie," Shy says while she hugs me; I wince, and she relinquishes a little, "I can't imagine my life without you."
"Same," I reply, "and thanks for not rebreaking my ribs."
"Whose ribs are broken?" Sunset asks as she steps into the room, followed closely by Applejack and Blue.
"Beloved!" Luna exclaims, "who did this to you?!"
"Don't worry, Blue," I say, "they got the worst of it. And there's naught left of them to punish, so becalm thy teats. Now why don't ya'll come on over here and warm me up. The autodoc has ripped up my clothes and I'm all exposed here. I know it's spring and all, but I'm fucking freezing!"
Ah, nothing beats a pony pile of lovely mares after a long day of combat…
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Well, that's all for now. Until the next chapter, I am The Wolf Who Writes Prose.
Lupi sumus, faciemus manseris!
Am I correct in guessing this will be in the next anachronistic chapter?
5160465
You would be- incorrect.